Magnetic card readers are employed widely in various applications, including point of sale devices, including, for example, POS terminals, electronic cash registers and ATMs. Traditionally, there has been a concern with data security of such devices. The following patent publications represent the current state of the art: U.S. Pat. No. 6,853,093 and Published PCT Application No. WO 2005/086546 of the present assignee and U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,998,858; 5,861,662 and 6,917,299.